- Norwegian pirates steal Russian ship in Arctic over Crimea compensation claim
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Norway has seized a Russian ship in the Arctic to enforce a compensation claim by Ukrainian energy firm Naftogaz, linked to Russian asset seizures in Crimea. Norway seized the ship on Wednesday, after Moscow failed to pay Naftogaz $4.22bn plus interest and legal costs to compensate for assets it seized in Crimea after a tribunal ruling at The Hague in 2023. … The vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was taken off the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard after a 24-hour standoff with the Norwegian Coast Guard, according to Covington, the US law firm representing Naftogaz.” (09/003/26)
- British police try to track down theft of 70,000 pints worth of Guinness stout
Source: SFGate
“British police have a stout task ahead: recovering 70,000 pints worth of stolen Guinness. Two trailer truckloads of the famously creamy dark beer valued at 115,000 pounds ($155,000) were stolen from a depot near Liverpool in northwest England, the Cheshire Constabulary said Thursday. ‘It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you,’ but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,’ Det. Sgt. Gary McClatchy said. ‘We will settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen.’ The Guinness had been destined for pubs, but was snatched Monday night by two drivers who pulled up to an industrial park in Runcorn and hauled away the trailers containing about 800 barrels of stout. The value of the trailers was estimated at 50,000 pounds ($67,000).” (09/03/26)
- Pentagon makes testosterone screening mandatory for US service members effective immediately
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“The U.S. Pentagon issued detailed guidance on Wednesday for a new, mandatory testosterone deficiency screening policy for active-duty and reserve service members age 30 and older, a follow-up to a July announcement from U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The guidance, which is effective immediately, establishes standardized screening and treatment pathways for men and women that the Pentagon says are aimed at improving military readiness by identifying and managing hormonal and energy-availability issues. Hegseth, who has promoted the use of testosterone, announced the mandate last month, raising questions among experts about whether there was a scientific basis for such a policy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to hold a meeting of experts to discuss medical use of testosterone in mid-September.” (09/02/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/testosterone-testing-us-military-9.7330202
- Iranian missiles, drones strike Kuwait
Source: Associated Press
“Iran fired at Kuwait Thursday, continuing its retaliation for U.S. bombardments earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to unite Israel’s right wing before elections this October. … Sirens sounded in Kuwait early Thursday, where air defenses intercepted missile and drone attacks during a ‘blatant Iranian aggression,’ the country’s Ministry of Defense said on X. It came after U.S. allies Bahrain and Jordan said their air defense systems intercepted several Iranian air attacks Wednesday.” (09/03/26)
- US House rejects GOP constitutional amendment to limit SCOTUS to nine justices
Source: CBS News
“A Republican-proposed constitutional amendment to limit the Supreme Court to nine justices failed in the House on Wednesday, coming up well short of the two-thirds majority support needed for adoption. The House voted 212 to 206 on a joint resolution to approve the amendment, which was proposed by GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona. The amendment would require that ‘the Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine justices consisting of one chief justice and eight associate justices.’ … Amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate and then ratification by three-fourths of the states. It’s the latest vote this week that Republicans are using to target the positions of the Democratic Socialists of America as several candidates who embrace its positions are poised to become members of Congress next year. On Tuesday, the House adopted a resolution condemning socialism ‘in all its forms.'” (09/03/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-supreme-court-constitutional-amendment-vote/
- Putin floats “chance” at peace with Ukraine as NATO chief warns Russia is becoming “increasingly reckless”
Source: CNBC
“Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Thursday that there is a ‘chance’ at ‘peace’ with Ukraine, but said Kyiv’s warnings to airlines to avoid Russian airspace amounted to ‘state terrorism.’ ‘Ultimately…the problem must be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict – Russia and Ukraine,’ he said in translated remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, a city in Eastern Russia. ‘Is there a chance [at peace]? In my view, yes, there is.’ It comes after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday said Russia is becoming ‘increasingly reckless,’ citing missiles and drones crossing Europe’s eastern flank, and an alleged Russian hybrid attack at Germany’s Leipzig airport last month.” (09/03/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/03/putin-peace-russia-ukraine-nato-defense.html
- China’s Xi seeks trade routes in Egypt, Central Asia to bypass tariffs and Western rules
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“President Xi Jinping’s journey from Central Asia to Egypt highlights Beijing’s efforts to strengthen alternative trade, energy and manufacturing networks across Eurasia and Africa, analysts said, as wars and tariffs expose a reliance on vulnerable supply routes and overseas markets. … According to a joint statement issued by China and Egypt on Thursday, the two sides will explore cooperation in renewable energy, data centres, semiconductors and space applications, as well as critical-mineral supply chains, agriculture and car manufacturing. The two countries also welcomed the renewal and potential expansion of their bilateral currency-swap agreement and called for greater use of the yuan and Egyptian pound in trade and investment settlements.” (09/03/26)
- Patagonia sues Trump over slashing of protected areas in Utah
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and gear company, has joined a lawsuit challenging Donald Trump’s decision to significantly reduce the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, removing protections from nearly 3m acres. In July, the president approved the reduction of the sites by 90%, clearing the way to open the land to oil and gas companies. … The retailer announced on Wednesday it was joining a lawsuit to put a stop to what it described as illegal orders that ‘betray Tribal sovereignty’. … The Natural Resources Defense Council, which filed the federal lawsuit on Wednesday along with several other conservation groups, described Trump’s proclamations as ‘one of the largest rollbacks of public land protections in US history’.” (09/02/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/02/trump-patagonia-lawsuit-utah-national-monuments
- US Mint officially launches $1 coin featuring senile reality TV star
Source: The Hill
“The United States Mint released 250,000 $1 coins Wednesday featuring President Trump’s likeness to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. … The coin was greenlighted in March after controversy arose stemming from a federal law that previously prohibited living people from being depicted on U.S. currency. But a law Trump signed during his first term — called the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 — included new language regarding the semiquincentennial commemoration coins. The Trump administration also told Newsweek it does not need congressional approval for the coin — citing a history of coins with the likeness of the sitting president such as a 150th anniversary coin with former President Calvin Coolidge as one example in a legal filing.” (09/02/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6066247-us-mint-releases-trump-coins/
- Hong Kong: Political prisoner pleads guilty to “collusion with foreign entities”
Source: Reuters
“Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a charge of collusion with foreign entities, a national security [sic] crime [sic] that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Wong, 29, rose to international prominence as a teenage democracy activist in Hong Kong, one of a group of youngsters whose protest efforts have now effectively been outlawed by a sweeping National Security [sic] Law that Beijing imposed on the Asian financial hub in 2020. … Wong is already in jail serving an existing sentence on an earlier national security [sic] charge of conspiracy to commit subversion after he was among a group of democratic activists who participated in an unofficial primary election in 2020. His current sentence is scheduled to end in January next year.” (09/02/26)
- In major global restructuring, Uber to cut over 3,000 jobs
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Uber is cutting more than 3,000 jobs worldwide as part of a major overhaul designed to shrink management layers and refocus spending on its core business. The cuts amount to roughly 10% of its global workforce, bringing staffing back to levels last seen in 2021. Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi told staff in a company email that the taxi and delivery firm had expanded quickly but accumulated too many layers and small teams that slowed decision‑making. He said the reductions would put Uber, which has its global head office in San Francisco, US, in a better position for its ‘biggest opportunities ahead of us’. The move marks one of Uber’s largest restructurings in years and signals a shift towards a leaner operating model. ” (09/02/26)
- Altria Sues FDA Over Tobacco Product Review System
Source: US News & World Report
“Marlboro-maker Altria on Wednesday sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, seeking to force the agency to overhaul a product review process that tobacco companies say has stifled their growth in the key U.S. market, a legal filing showed. Under U.S. law, the FDA must review new tobacco products before they can be sold, assessing whether they provide a net public health benefit, such as helping smokers quit. But the system has been plagued by a huge backlog of applications and a booming illegal market of products sold without FDA authorisation. Altria’s lawsuit marks the latest industry challenge to a regime that has become one of the biggest obstacles facing tobacco companies in the $22 billion U.S. market. It follows an extensive lobbying campaign targeting President Donald Trump.” (09/02/26)
- NYC: Government day prison system bans AI for younger inmates
Source: ABC 7 Eyewitness News
“Nearly 600,000 New York City public school students will be barred from using artificial intelligence in the classroom and face strict new limits on screen time under a sweeping technology policy Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels are expected to unveil Wednesday. The policy, believed to be the most restrictive of its kind in the nation, would prohibit generative AI tools, including chatbots, AI tutors and instructional programs, for all students through eighth grade. Only high school students would be permitted to use AI, and even then under what officials describe as ‘restricted’ access rules.” (09/02/26)
https://abc7ny.com/post/new-york-city-public-schools-banning-ai-use-middle-school-year/19778716/
- In “crisis preparedness” move, Netherlands moves billions in gold to London
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The Dutch central bank (DNB) has confirmed that billions of dollars in gold has been taken out of north America and relocated to London, citing ‘increasing geopolitical unrest’. DNB said on Wednesday that 86 tonnes of gold had been removed from the US and Canada in a complex operation that took several months. It is now being held by the Bank of England, where the precious metal can be traded more easily ‘in a crisis situation’. Bank president Olaf Sleijpen said the move was ‘necessary to strengthen our resilience and preparedness’. The decision comes amid an ongoing trade dispute between the US and Canada, with both countries announcing fresh tariffs on each other after failed trade talks.” (09/02/26)
- Germany: Explosion near train station injures two
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“An explosion near a German train station followed by the discovery of a suspicious object caused police to temporarily close the transport hub in the southern city of Augsburg on Wednesday morning. Later in the morning, police said the suspicious object had been identified as harmless and that the train station was reopened again at 10 a.m. and trains starting running again. … An unidentified object exploded in a passageway near the station at around 3:15 a.m. local time, according to officials, causing minor injuries to two people. The people injured were a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, both of whom are Ukrainian citizens, the German news agency dpa reported.” (09/02/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/explosion-germany-train-station-9.7329026
- Chevron expanding in Venezuela as Trump deal claims more oil reserves
Source: SFGate
“Oil giant Chevron confirmed that it will expand its operations in Venezuela, just days after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration Tuesday to ‘stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough,’ as he pushed back against a fresh wave of taunts from Washington. Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington becomes serious about negotiations. And a record percentage of Americans — about 9 in 10 — 89% — believe there’s widespread corruption in the U.S. government, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday. That’s up 10 percentage points from last year.” (09/02/26)
- Hegseth removes six Army officers from promotion list
Source: WAVY 10 News
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spiked the names of at least six Army officers from a list for promotions to two-star generals, a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Hill Tuesday. The removals come just days after the Pentagon chief blocked promotions of four Army officers selected to ascend to one-star rank …. Earlier this year, the defense secretary similarly pulled four Army officers, two women and two [b]lack men, from a one-star general promotion list — to the displeasure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other top officials. Driscoll handed his resignation to the White House on Monday and is set to depart the Trump administration after a months-long turf war with Hegseth, a move that further signals the defense secretary’s aim to impose his will on the service branch.” (09/02/26)
https://www.wavy.com/news/national/hegseth-removes-6-army-officers-from-promotion-list/
- El Salvador’s Bitcoin Stash Grows to 7,762 BTC Despite IMF Reservations
Source: Bitcoin.com
“El Salvador’s national bitcoin reserve grew again this week, with the government confirming its holdings now stand at 7,762 BTC. The purchase continues a policy of buying one bitcoin per day regardless of its price (ever since the country became the first nation to make bitcoin legal tender in 2021). … the accumulation has continued despite a $1.4 billion IMF financing agreement that explicitly asked El Salvador to confine its public-sector bitcoin purchases and make merchant acceptance voluntary. Bitcoin’s formal legal-tender status was rescinded through a legislative amendment tied to that same IMF deal, but the reserve-buying policy was never part of the rollback.” (09/02/26)
https://news.bitcoin.com/crypto-news/el-salvador-bitcoin-reserve-7762-btc/
- Congo’s Ebola outbreak shows no signs of slowing as deaths top 3,000
Source: SFGate
“Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,000 people out of more than 6,100 confirmed cases, according to the latest government data from Wednesday, as the disease is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it. Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak has recorded 6,186 confirmed cases, including 3,007 deaths since it was declared a global health emergency in mid-May. It remains the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola ever. Jean-Claude Angwanzia, a resident of Bunia, said that he left Mambassa in the epicenter of Ituri province, because he didn’t feel safe. He said that he hardly saw health workers and infected bodies were being mishandled, prompting safety concerns. ‘I had to flee the area because of the danger looming over us,’ he said. The pace of the outbreak is putting a strain on people’s lives.” (09/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/deaths-in-congo-s-fast-moving-ebola-outbreak-22413912.php
- US House censures Edwards for conduct toward former female staffers
Source: Dallas Morning News
“The House voted Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., following a House Ethics Committee investigation that concluded he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers in his office. A censure registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion from office. … [House Ethics Committee chair Michael] Guest said that behavior included providing the aides with lavish gifts, making comments about their appearance and dress, sending notes regarding his affection and inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations. He also said Edwards was aware that the women were uncomfortable with his behavior.” (09/01/26)
- Libertarians and Political Action
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Hamoon Soleimani“For most of the twentieth century, the trouble with libertarianism was never its ideas, it was its posture. Theorists stood outside the arena with folded arms, waiting for voters to reason their way to liberty, treating political philosophy as a kind of religion of non-participation. That turned one of the sharpest critiques of state power into a seminar-room parlor trick. While purists argued over who would pave the roads without a transportation ministry, the people who actually wanted power simply took it, grabbing the money, locking down capital, and dictating the granular details of everyday life. Surviving runaway state intervention means dropping the fantasy of keeping your hands clean, and giving up on a mass awakening that is never going to arrive.” (09/02/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/libertarians-and-political-action
- In Hong Kong, remembering the past is now a crime
Source: spiked
by Chloe Lo“The lies are all aligned now. For 37 years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has tried to erase the truth of what happened on 4 June 1989. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of peaceful protesters were massacred by the military in Tiananmen Square. Since then, the CCP has censored what happened and silenced those who refuse to forget. Hong Kong used to be different. For more than three decades, we gathered peacefully every year in Victoria Park. We lit candles, remembered those who died and called for accountability. It was one of the freedoms that separated Hong Kong from mainland China. That freedom is now gone.” (09/02/26)
- Chaos in Elections Is the Goal of the USPS Election Mail Rule
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye“With the first ballots for the 2026 midterm election set to be mailed out this week, it seems we’re diving back into the sheer havoc the Trump administration is trying to wreak as voters decide who will control the House and the Senate in the 120th Congress. North Carolina election officials are scheduled to begin mailing absentee ballots to voters who requested them on Friday. Ordinarily, that would be a routine milestone in the election calendar. This year, it comes as the Trump administration is trying to force states to overhaul how they distribute mail ballots, only two months before Election Day. … The danger isn’t limited to administrative inconvenience or additional costs. If a state failed to comply, USPS could refuse to deliver ballots to voters who have a right to receive them under state law.” (09/02/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/chaos-in-elections-is-the-goal-of
- Another Monopoly Allowed to Stand
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“Google has been found liable for monopolization by federal judges twice now. Both times, however, the judges have allowed the company’s monopoly to remain intact. The rather dire message this sends to would-be monopolists is that their business model will be protected even if they are found to have broken the law. It’s an ominous development as the tech industry seeks to shift its dominance into artificial intelligence, even as enforcers find more ways that platforms are abusing their power. We don’t yet know everything about the latest ruling because it will be under seal for a couple of weeks. But we know the important thing: Google will be allowed to continue to run all sides of the advertising technology stack, including the ‘sell side’ where advertisers make bids, the ‘buy side’ where publishers offer inventory on their websites, and the ‘ad exchange’ where both sides come together in real-time auctions.” (09/03/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/09/03/another-monopoly-allowed-stand-google-adtech/
- Texas’s Efforts to Deny That Islam Is Even a Religion Will Jeopardize All Faiths
Source: The UnPopulist
by Asma Uddin“The Texas campaign is not simply discrimination against Muslims; more fundamentally, it is a demonstration of a mechanism that, once normalized, threatens the religious liberty of every American. Put simply: Once Texan officials or any other anti-Muslim agitator hands government a power liberal constitutionalism was built to deny—the power to decide which religion counts as ‘religion’—that power can be used against Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion.” (09/02/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/texas-efforts-to-deny-that-islam
- Tyranny by Technicality: The Supreme Court Will Not Save Our Republic
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead“For years, we have been warning that the U.S. Supreme Court would not save us from the American police state. That warning has not grown less urgent. It has simply become more complicated. The danger today is not merely that courts will favor order and procedure over freedom. It is that by the time justice makes an appearance, it will arrive so narrowly, so procedurally and so late that the government will already have prevailed. …The building is already gone. The troops are already deployed. The surveillance system is already operating. The people are already detained. The agency is already dismantled. The data is already collected. The war is already underway. And whatever constitutional principle eventually emerges from the litigation arrives too late to undo the damage.” (09/02/26)
- The Definition of Insanity
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ron Paul“Albert Einstein is credited with saying, ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ Whether he actually said it or not, the definition stands. This definition also very well describes the Trump Administration’s war with Iran. According to media reports, President Trump was cajoled by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that this would be an ‘easy war,’ like Venezuela. Just assassinate the Iranian leadership, he promised, and the regime change would bring in a pro-America regime in Iran. The CIA disagreed with the assessment, but Trump went with Netanyahu and the rest is history.” (09/02/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/paul/2026/09/01/the-definition-of-insanity/
- Services can be provided sans government
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal“I don’t want or need to be governed, but I still want a few of the things people claim government does or provides. The difference is, I want these things provided voluntarily, without taxation or other forms of coercion. If something isn’t essential enough for people to chip in and fund, it needs to go away. Forever, or until enough people decide to pay for it without being forced.” (09/02/26)
- Private Property: For Abundance and Diversity
Source: Liberalism.org
by Ilya Somin“Property rights were central to the origins of the liberal political tradition. And, in our time especially, they should be central once again. In addition to their inherent value as a vital element of liberty and autonomy, bolstering them is essential to uplifting the poor and disadvantaged and boosting prosperity and innovation. The right to private property can also help protect a variety of other important rights.” (09/02/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/private-property-for-abundance-and-diversity
- Our ancient faith in liberty
Source: Expression
by David Josef Volodzko“In the summer of 1798, Congress gave the president the power to expel any foreigner he personally judged dangerous. Though the president never used the Alien Friends Act, and it expired two years later, it had its intended result. French printers, teachers, and booksellers sold their belongings and took ship out of Philadelphia, rather than wait to find out if the president had them in mind. Thomas Jefferson later argued that to put such power in the hands of one person is the very definition of despotism. Last Friday, a federal court in California reminded us of this in Stanford Daily v. Rubio, in which Judge Noël Wise held the government cannot deport people for their opinions.” (09/02/26)
- AI Oligarchs Poisoning Our Society
Source: Caitlin Johnstone
by Caitlin Johnstone“In a recent interview with Time Magazine, [Sam] Altman said he knows most people hate the technology that he and his fellow tech plutocrats are imposing upon our civilization. ‘Clearly, people hate data centers — right now, at least. People are pretty negative on AI,’ Altman said. Indeed, a recent survey conducted by CNBC‘s Generation Labs found that the public is very negative on AI in general and on its CEOs in particular. … They know we hate them and what they’re doing to us as a society. And yet they’re doing it anyway. They’re going to keep pushing this technology on us which is stealing our jobs, plunging our society further and further into a tech surveillance dystopia patrolled by militarized drones and police robots, and turning everyone into stupid, artless emotional infants who can’t do anything for ourselves.” (09/02/26)
- The expiry date welfare needs
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“Rome gave out free grain to its citizens. It began as emergency relief in a time of shortage. It ended as a permanent entitlement, defended by riot whenever a consul tried to touch it. By the late Republic nobody could remember why it existed. It simply had to continue, because it always had. Britain’s welfare state has followed the same arc. It began, in the years after the war, as a safety net for genuine hardship. It has become, for a growing number of claimants, a permanent address. … There is a different principle available, and it has been tested abroad for long enough now to draw conclusions. Help should be temporary by design. Not grudging, not punitive, but genuinely time-limited, aimed at restoring independence rather than administering it away.” (09/02/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-expiry-date-welfare-needs
- Reflections on Americans’ Net Worth
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan“I’ve been an economics professor for almost 30 years, but I don’t think I’ve ever before seen anything like the table below. I knew that claims that ‘58% of Americans can’t afford a $1,000 car repair’ were laughable clickbait. I knew that — measured by income — the middle class is disappearing… by becoming upper-middle class. But only recently did I start to fully appreciate the chasm between populist pessimism and actual data on Americans’ net worth.” (09/02/26)
- The People’s Arms Embargo
Source: Foreign Policy In Focus
by Macela Carmo Dos Santos“For nearly three years, foreign ministries in Washington, London, and Brussels have debated arms embargoes on Israel in committee rooms, largely without result. Meanwhile, a much less formal network of ordinary people has been trying to accomplish the same goal from the ground up—one factory gate, one shareholder register, and one pension fund at a time. Palestine Action, the direct-action network founded in the UK in 2020 by Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard, is built on a simple theory of change: If governments won’t stop arming Israel, activists will go after the companies that do it for them.” (09/02/26)
https://fpif.org/trying-to-choke-off-the-weapons-behind-gaza/
- Maddened in Michigan
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“‘It’s not every day that Michigan’s bureaucracy violates state and federal law while disenfranchising more than 700,000 Michigan voters,’ opens the legal brief filed in the Michigan Supreme Court last Thursday by Americans for Citizen Voting – Michigan. ‘But that’s exactly what happened [last] week.’ The group (which I chair) has worked for the last year to place the Citizen Only Voting Amendment on Michigan’s November ballot. It makes two basic reforms: requires the Secretary of State to check the voter rolls, identifying and removing noncitizens in a fair process, and requires photo identification to cast a ballot.” (09/02/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/09/02/maddened-in-michigan/
- America Wins in Venezuela While China and Canada Lose
Source: Town Hall
by EJ Antoni, Ph.D.“In a January Townhall column, I argued that the Venezuela operation was a win for America and a loss for China and Canada. Friday’s announcement from the Trump administration of an oil deal with Venezuela confirms that assessment. The agreement gives the U.S. a majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves through a joint venture built around 17 strategic fields, with an initial production target north of 1.5 million barrels per day over a 25-year framework. On paper, it creates the second-largest private holder of proven reserves on the planet, behind only Saudi Aramco. But Americans need to be realistic about their expectations: this won’t translate into lower gasoline or diesel prices anytime soon.” (09/02/26)
- The Root Causes of the Wars in Iran and Ukraine
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“If we are ever to get our country back on the right track, it is imperative that we never forget that the U.S. national-security state and its foreign policy of interventionism are responsible for the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Let’s start with Iran. It’s obviously tempting to simply blame President Trump for launching his undeclared war of aggression against Iran. But the root cause of what has become a tar baby for Trump goes back a lot further — to the CIA’s coup in Iran in 1953 — a coup that destroyed Iran’s experiment with democracy.” (09/02/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/09/02/the-root-causes-of-the-wars-in-iran-and-ukraine/
- Why are so many Vance allies leaving the administration?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols & Kelley Beaucar Vlahos“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned this week, raising a flurry of questions about whether his departure is part of a larger political reordering that has pushed skeptics of President Donald Trump’s war policies to the margins. A long-time friend of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll drew widespread praise for his efforts to modernize the Army. But he has clashed with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth …. Driscoll’s departure is the latest in a string of recent high-profile exits by Vance’s allies and ideological fellow travelers, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Deputy National Security Adviser Andy Baker, White House Director of Legislative Affairs James Braid, and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent.” (09/02/26)
- The Twin Tragedies of the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace
Source: Common Dreams
by Connie Peck“Established by Congress in 1984, with legislation signed by Ronald Reagan and funded annually by Congress, the United States Institute of Peace, or USIP, was a well-respected, authoritative, independent, officially nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, until it was eviscerated by President Donald Trump early last year. Its purpose was to promote conflict prevention and resolution worldwide and to provide analysis, research, and training in diplomacy, mediation, and peace-related activities. … Although the institute’s extremely useful database was wantonly destroyed, one can see the breadth and depth of its important work by sampling some of its publications here.” (09/02/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/tragedies-donald-trump-peace
- Faucism and the Tyranny of Prevailing Opinion
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein“The foundation of a free society and a fully human life rests on our commitment to the independent use of conscience.” (09/02/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/faucism-and-the-tyranny-of-prevailing
- Edith Sampson vs. the Illusions of Communism
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lawrence W Reed“As the Kremlin sought to portray American democracy as hypocritical and the Soviet Union as a more promising future for mankind, its propagandists made much of racial injustice in the United States, while exploiting internal tensions throughout the West to stir dissent. In response, the US sought out a level-headed Black American who could challenge Paul Robeson’s claims and speak on the dangers of communism. Edith Sampson became that emerging voice during the World Town Hall in 1949, where she earned headlines for publicly denouncing Soviet propaganda about America. Sampson, at the time, was a prominent leader in the National Council of Negro Women while serving as assistant state’s attorney in Cook County, Illinois.” (09/02/26)
https://fee.org/articles/edith-sampson-vs-the-illusions-of-communism/
- Kennedy Gets It Half Right
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M Vance“Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on a mission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). This implies that America was healthy at one time but is not healthy now. Is this actually the case? How is something like this even measured? Can America be made healthy again? MAHA does not stand for Make Americans Healthy Again. So what exactly does it mean to make America, a country, healthy again?” (09/02/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/kennedy-gets-it-half-right/
- Trump’s boat strikes are illegal. Does it matter?
Source: The Hill
by Jeffrey Stein“From the beginning, the boat strikes campaign has been widely condemned as lawless. Contrary to President Trump’s absurd claims, the U.S. is not and cannot be in a formal armed conflict with the unnamed drug cartels supposedly targeted in these attacks. The boat strikes are therefore nothing more than premeditated killings of civilians. A chorus of elected officials, governments and international bodies have thus denounced the strikes as ‘illegal.’ But why focus on the strikes’ illegality in the first place? After all, one could just as easily condemn the strikes for their cruelty. The strikes have torn apart families from across Latin America, depriving them — forever — of husbands, fathers, brothers and sons. ” (09/02/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/6064098-aclu-lawsuit-wrongful-deaths/
- MacIntyre’s Common Good
Source: Law & Liberty
by Rachel Lu“Alasdair MacIntyre was a political animal, or so one naturally assumes. He was at any rate an Aristotelian, and since Aristotle declared man to be the zoon politikon (‘political animal’), it seems safe to say that MacIntyre thought of himself as one such. Nevertheless, for much of his life he was deeply reluctant to enter into political discourse. In youth, he was (in)famously a Marxist. Eventually he broke with the socialists and made his way to Aristotelian Thomism. He spent decades writing on the incoherence of modern moral theory, giving considerable attention along the way to action theory, the virtues, and the history of philosophy. But he largely eschewed political discourse, to the frustration of political theorists who hoped to enlist him as an ally.” (09/02/26)
- The Texas Trotsky? Talarico Declares Capitalism an “Oppressive System” that “Must Be Dismantled”
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“Senate Democrat nominee James Talarico appears ready to bring a touch of Trotsky to Texas. In a video from a climate forum, Talarico is shown declaring capitalism an ‘oppressive system’ linked with white supremacy and that it must be ‘dismantled’ to achieve a better world. It is reminiscent of Leon Trotsky, who denounced the ‘fundamental evil of the capitalist system’ and called on citizens to free themselves from its oppression. The Democratic Socialists of America and radical sites have long called ‘to dismantle the capitalist state’. As a state representative, Talarico addressed the 2020 climate conference by the Austin chapter of the Sierra Club [and] roused the crowd with an attack on capitalism: ‘I’m so thankful that you asked this question and also thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and White supremacy and capitalism in our country.'” (09/02/26)
- Study: Even Well-Intentioned Regulators Do More Harm Than Good
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“It’s both common and accurate to point out that many people who go into government are control freaks motivated by the desire to exercise power over others, or else driven by self-interest to profit from control of the reins of government. But a new study points out that even when government officials are sincere and intend to make the world a better place, they often cause more harm than good.” (09/02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/09/02/study-even-well-intentioned-regulators-do-more-harm-than-good/
- Ironic Inheritance: How Andrew Carnegie’s Millions Still Underwrite the Academy
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith“Academics may distrust concentrated private wealth, but their retirement system owes its origins to one of history’s great industrial fortunes.” (09/02/26)
- Data centers are blowing the PR game. Here’s how to fix that.
Source: Washington Post
by Taylor Budowich“When many teachers in Richland Parish, Louisiana, opened this year’s annual bonus checks, they found them 400 percent larger than last year — reaching up to $50,000, nearly a full year’s pay in one of the poorest corners of one of America’s poorest states. The bulk of the money came from the tax revenue of a single source: the five-gigawatt data center that Meta is building in Richland Parish. … Most Americans haven’t heard that story. What they have heard instead is that data centers will guzzle their water and spike their power bills — and our politics now reflect that. … AI supporters are losing the argument not because the facts aren’t on their side, but because they keep reaching for the wrong facts — gigawatts, capital expenditure, the race with China — in making their case. Here are three rules for AI companies, and the policymakers who support them, to win the argument that follows.” (09/02/26)
- How Neoliberals Fueled the Rise of Socialism
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe“The rising popularity of politicians on the American left who either explicitly identify as socialist or, at least, don’t shy away from or disavow the term appears to be causing genuine concern within the Washington establishment. That is, of course, entirely justified. Socialism is profoundly unjust and destructive. … However, the concern we’re seeing from the neoliberal and neoconservative establishment is frustrating. Because the political order that they have built and preserved over the last half century has made the growing popularity of this kind of ‘democratic socialism’ all but inevitable.” (09/02/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-neoliberals-fueled-rise-socialism
- Are Centrist [sic] Democrats Too Racist [sic] to Compete in Michigan?
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper“I have a question about the critical Michigan Senate race: Are centrist Democratic officials and pundits going to spend the next 60 days loudly making the Republican Party’s arguments for them? The last week has seen a meltdown over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee. The controversy involves the Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who is not an elected official, or a candidate for anything, or a member of El-Sayed’s campaign, but did appear with him during the primary at a few events. Piker made some comments on a Twitch stream (more on that in a moment) that provided a convenient pretext for Republicans to whip up a frenzy of anti-Muslim bigotry and smear El-Sayed by association. Most Democrats did not join in, but many did, including some in leadership positions.” (09/02/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/09/02/are-centrist-democrats-too-racist-to-compete-in-michigan/
- Debt Jubilees Only Change Who Pays
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas Savidge“A debt jubilee can erase an obligation on paper, but it cannot erase the underlying economic cost.” (09/02/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/debt-jubilees-only-change-who-pays/
- Trump’s White House Ballroom Is a Monument to His Lawlessness
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum“By unilaterally razing and replacing the East Wing, the president again shows his disregard for the rule of law and the separation of powers.” (09/02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/09/02/trumps-white-house-ballroom-is-a-monument-to-his-lawlessness/
- Israel’s politics pivot to shared good health
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Yoav Segalovitz, a Zionist politician from a centrist Jewish party, shook up Israeli politics on Monday. He announced he would run in the Oct. 27 parliamentary elections as a top-tier candidate with Ra’am, a party representing Israel’s large Arab population. His surprise leap across a deep social divide could help Ra’am win enough seats in the Knesset to influence who becomes the next prime minister, possibly shifting Israel’s role in the Middle East. A recent poll showed that more than half of voters who oppose the current government would support including Ra’am with Mr. Segalovitz in a possible coalition. While such political leverage remains to be seen, it was Mr. Segalovitz’s reasons for joining Ra’am – an abbreviation for United Arab List – that also caught much of the public’s attention.” (09/01/26)
- MAGA Didn’t Vote For War With Iran
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Jack Hunter“Do you remember over the course of the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections when Donald Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ movement promised to launch the United States into yet another Middle Eastern war, this time with Iran? No? No one does. Because it didn’t happen. ‘When I’m back in the White House, we will expel the warmongers, the profiteers, and take over our government and we will restore world peace,’ Trump said during a National Guard Association speech in August 2024 to cheers and applause.” [editor’s note: And everyone who cared one way or another about honesty knew he was a lying sack of crap long before he got elected the first time, let alone the second. He didn’t fool anyone; they fooled themselves, and have only themselves to blame – TLK] (09/02/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/maga-didnt-vote-for-war-with-iran/
- Why the $40 Trillion Debt isn’t the Real Threat
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker“The $40 trillion debt point naturally prompted much griping among pundits, many of whom see their job as promoting hysteria in order to justify cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other popular social programs. As is clear to anyone not on the payroll of the rich and very rich [or, you know, familiar with basic economics – TLK], the debt is overwhelmingly the result of tax cuts, mostly to high earners, put in place by Presidents Reagan, Bush II, and Trump. Unfortunately, confusion on the debt can spread even among the sane.” (09/02/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/02/why-the-40-trillion-debt-isnt-the-real-threat/
- TAC Right Now, 09/02/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Andrew Day and Luke Nicastro talk to Connor Echols of Responsible Statecraft about Dan Driscoll’s resignation as Army secretary, Vice President J.D. Vance’s controversial speech to an Israel lobby group, whether the Iran War is becoming a Forever War, and Israel’s sponsoring ads on the podcast of Sen. Ted Cruz.” (09/02/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/j-d-vances-perplexing-moves-w-connor-echols/
- Andrew Day on The Kyle Anzalone Show
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump’s New Iran Strategy and Warning to Putin.” (09/02/26)
- LPA Solidarity Stream, episode 21
Source: LP Alliance
“David Beito, Phil Saunders, and their proposal for thinking outside the one-or-two-state paradigm.” (09/02/26)
- Kibbe on Liberty, episode 402
Source: Free the People
“Old Media’s Days Are Numbered | Guest: Bobby Sauce.” (09/02/26)
- Hard Lens Media, 09/02/26
Source: Hard Lens Media
“THOMAS MASSIE NAMES 14 Epstein Co-Conspirators On The House Floor — And Demands They Be Prosecuted.” (09/02/26)
- Rising, 09/02/26
Source: The Hill
“James Talarico links capitalism to white supremacy, says oil ‘not gonna last.'” (09/02/26)
- The David Frum Show, 09/02/26
Source: The Atlantic
“How Trump Lost Asia.” (09/02/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 09/02/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Why Did The U.S. Attack A ‘Failed State’ With ‘No Military’ That Already ‘Lost?'” (09/02/26)
- The Science of Politics, 07/02/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Why neither party is fiscally responsible.” (09/02/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-neither-party-is-fiscally-responsible/
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 09/02/26
Source: Politico
“Trump’s data center defense.” (09/02/26)
- The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman, 09/02/26
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“The Battle for American Identity (with Ben Rhodes).” (09/02/26)
- Reasonably Optimistic, 09/02/26
Source: Washington Post
“The myths fueling America’s AI data center backlash.” (09/02/26)
- Reason Interview: Stephanie Slade
Source: Reason
“Why the Right Is Embracing State Power.” (09/02/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/09/02/why-the-right-is-embracing-state-power/
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg
Source: The Dispatch
“Does Trump Understand Tariffs? | Interview: Anthony Scaramucci.” (09/01/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/does-trump-understand-tariffs-interview-anthony-scaramucci/
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/01/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Launches Airstrikes Across Iran’s Southern Coast, Israel Conducts Ground Raid in Gaza, and More.” (09/01/26)
- Politics Politics Politics, 09/01/26
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Will the GOP Leave DC Already? What You Should Be Watching For in Iran (with Riley Blanton).” (09/01/26)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/will-the-gop-leave-dc-already-what
- Nonzero, 09/01/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of War | Robert Wright & Paul Scharre.” (09/01/26)
- Capital Record, episode 319
Source: National Review
“Uncle Sam, The Oil Tycoon.” (09/01/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/uncle-sam-the-oil-tycoon/
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 09/01/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“China Blows Up Trump’s Economic War on Iran.” (09/01/26)
- Free Speech Unmuted, 09/01/26
Source: Hoover Institution
“The Process Is The Punishment: ABC v. FCC With Stuart Benjamin.” (09/01/26)